A common goal pursued by researchers in the field of plant extraction, particularly those in academia, government, and industry alike, is to be able to efficiently and effectively extract and produce high yields of nutrients naturally present in various parts of the plants (such as the seeds, roots, stems, leaves and fruits) and to optimize the conditions of extraction (such as mass transfer and heat transfer) for large scale production of the nutrients. Currently, nutrients such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, vitamins, and flavonoids, as well as antibacterial agents and natural pigments, etc., found in plants can be extracted with advanced physical and chemical techniques or by using biotechnology equipment. These extracted nutrients can be formulated into healthcare and pharmaceutical products for oral administration or external application that promote effects such as anti-oxidation, anti-aging and anti-inflammation.
For instance, vitamins are essential nutrients required by organisms to orchestrate a range of physiological functions, and thus a deficiency of vitamins could lead to serious health problems. Therefore, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and healthcare products are increasingly being supplemented with various functional vitamins.
Since vitamins cannot be synthesized by the human body, they must be obtained through the diet (such as vegetable and fruit). In addition, vitamins can also be directly extracted from the diet with organic solvents or produced through chemical synthesis. However, the organic solvents used in these methods are not energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly, and could harm the human body and inhibit the body's ability to absorb nutrients. The purification process to reduce the levels of residual solvents is thus needed, but is relatively time and cost consuming.
Therefore, the applicants have endeavored to develop a method of obtaining nutrients naturally, without the need for addition of organic solvents.